1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus which performs power source control by remote management by a server apparatus communicable via a network, a control method thereof, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, to receive, from a server at a remote place, communication data which requests power-on, an information processing apparatus which adopts a control method of turning on a power source by remote control waits by keeping a communication control unit in a continuous power-on state while turning off the apparatus main body (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-85867). This technique increases unnecessary power consumption because the communication control unit waits for reception in the continuous power-on state even in a time period such as midnight during which the power source is less likely to be turned on.
To avoid this, there is known a technique of setting in advance the power-on permission time in an information processing apparatus remote-controlled by a server, and enabling power-on by remote control in only the set time period (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-334699). However, the power-on request time (power management setting) changes day to day such that the time period during which the server requests power-on is changed upon a change of settings on the server side, or the power-on setting becomes fine depending on the day of the week. For this reason, even if the information processing apparatus enables reception of a power-on request in synchronism with the reception timing of the power-on request from the server, the request from the server may not be received quickly. This may generate an error between the power-on timing managed in the server and the timing to actually turn on the power source of the whole apparatus in the information processing apparatus.
To solve this, there is an inquiry control method of turning on a power source for a communication control unit (network interface (I/F) device) by an information processing apparatus, and voluntarily inquiring the latest power-on timing set in a server, of the server by the communication control unit. Even if the power management setting has been changed on the server side, the information processing apparatus can perform power source control following the setting change.
When the information processing apparatus cyclically makes an inquiry to the server and turns on the power source in accordance with an instruction from the server, as in the above-described conventional technique, power source control of the information processing apparatus can be more accurately performed based on the power-on timing managed in the server as the inquiry cycle becomes shorter. However, as the inquiry cycle becomes shorter, the number of times of energization to the network I/F device which makes the inquiry increases, the power consumption of the network I/F device increases, and thus the power consumption while the power source of the information processing apparatus main body is OFF increases. As a result, it may become difficult to suppress the power consumption of the information processing apparatus to be equal to or smaller than a power (target power) set as a target value while the power source of the whole information processing apparatus is OFF.
If the inquiry cycle is prolonged, the number of times of energization to the network I/F device decreases, and the power consumption of the information processing apparatus can be suppressed to be equal to or smaller than the target value. However, a long inquiry cycle may increase an error of the timing to actually turn on the power source in the information processing apparatus, with respect to the power-on timing managed in the server.
Further, the power consumption of the network I/F device changes depending on a network environment where the information processing apparatus is connected (for example, depending on a communication rate supported by an opposing apparatus, such as a hub, connected to the information processing apparatus). To suppress the power consumption of the information processing apparatus to be equal to or smaller than a target value, the inquiry cycle needs to be controlled in accordance with the connection state of the information processing apparatus to the network.